Prevalence of hearing loss among polish school-age children from rural areas – Results of hearing screening program in the sample of 67 416 children

Sensitivity and specificity of three hearing screening protocols in the school setting

“…This hearing problems are similar to previous results obtained in other Brazilian cities, such as São Luís (MA) 37 (24.3% of children from 7 to 9 years old) and Goiânia (GO) (24% of children from 7 to 14 years old) 34 . However, they are larger than those observed in other studies performed in more developed regions of Brazil 26,36,38 and other countries 6,7,8,13,14 . The differences in prevalence rates are due, in part, to the great variability in the procedures, methods, and techniques of the auditory screening tests performed and in the adopted pass and fail criteria of these procedures 7-,9 .…”

“…Yet, it does not contribute, in isolation, to differentiating conductive changes from sensorineural, which can also be a disadvantage in the Hearing Screening Program in Schoolchildren. On the other hand, the inclusion of TOAE in the hearing screening protocol can increase the accuracy and differentiate between conductive and sensorineural hearing loss, but it is difficult to implement it in mass screening performed in schools 6 due to the increased cost of equipment and qualified professionals, as well as for the longer application time of the procedures.…”

“…There is a close relationship between the prevalence of hearing loss, family income, and parents' education level 4 . A recent study 6 showed a prevalence of 16.49% of children with hearing loss, mostly unilateral, mild, and in rural areas. Another study 7 noted the great variability in the prevalence of hearing loss in children, from 1.4% (regarding 29 countries) to 17.5% (Netherlands).…”

Personal Music Players Use and Other Noise Hazards among Children 11 to 12 Years Old

“…Since November 2007, the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, commissioned by Warsaw City Hall, has conducted hearing screening in primary schools in Warsaw. The goal of the program is to increase the detection of hearing disorders, improve early diagnosis, and give equal opportunities to children by reducing or eliminating the adverse consequences of hearing impairment [27,28]. The main objective of the hearing screening program is to assess the hearing of the studied population.…”

“…Screening pure tone audiometry was conducted in a quiet room allocated by the school headmaster. The examination was performed on the Platform for Sensory Organs Examination [27,29,30] connected to the "SZOK" ® central database [31]. The system is based on a powerful central computer with multiple portable computers communicating with it via the Internet.…”